08.09.07
The end of Death Note - where does the evil truly lie?
I’m kind of late in writing my thoughts on the end of Death Note…I know everyone’s blogged about it already and even though my thoughts about the series haven’t changed very much since my halfway mark review of it, I just had to give my personal input about the ending of this amazing series…
Since I’ve already written a couple of review posts about Death Note, I’m only going to touch on the ending in this post. But just to reiterate, Death Note has been a suspenseful thrill ride for me since episode 1. Few series’ have piqued my interest so early on. I know many fans think the series went downhill after L died, but I think it was still good after that. Maybe after Light’s dad got killed did it start to decline a little but not too extreme. And the series’ ended not long after that so it’s not like it was “stuck in a rut” for seasons on end like many other Shounen Jump series’.
As for the actual ending of Death Note, I wasn’t really expecting Light to die so tragically. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t succeed in the end, but I thought he would either spend the rest of his life in jail, or at least be killed subtly in a professional manner. The big, bloody confrontation in episode 37 was rather unexpected. But as always for Death Note, it was brilliantly executed and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time. It was amazing how one little slip up out of all the careful calculating Light had made, could mean the demise of his entire identity. Even though I’ve never read the Death Note manga, I’ve read about how the ending differed from the anime. I actually think the anime is a bit better but both are pretty equal. Though the manga gives a little insight on what happened to the other characters, it doesn’t give very much. What is Misa going to do, how will Light’s mother and sister react, what will become of the real Death Note, and how will the world deal with the news of Kira’s death/true identity - these were all important aspects I think should have been covered. Ah well, most anime endings leave a lot up to the imagination so I guess Death Note is no exception.
So probably the main question that comes to mind at the end of the series is, does Light deserve any pity? Was he just in any of his acts and did any of the ideals he held within Kira hold any merit whatsoever? Personally, I think the core of his ideals were good, but the flaw lay within Light himself. Using the Death Note to destroy evil people and thus create a new, cleansed world may have been a good-intentioned goal at first, but Light’s obsessive and uncaring personality are what caused it to escalate into killing not just criminals, but anyone who might threaten Kira’s secret identity. Of course one could argue that he had to sacrifice even innocent people in order to keep control of the Death Note or else he would not be able to create this cleansed world he was seeking. But I think the real problem lies in not in who he killed, but how he felt and reacted to it. Whether he had to kill his own father for the sake of his cause or not is irrelevant…the way he reacted to it, without showing any hint of sadness or sympathy, caring more about finding out Mello’s real name than the fact that his own dad is dying before him, shows that if Light were to succeed in making this new and better world, he would not be a kind and caring ruler. The fact that he doesn’t even shed a tear or even think “Sorry dad, it’s all for a good cause,” proves that there’s something wrong with Light’s sense of what it means to be a good human being, and even if one agrees with his original ideals, seeing how twisted his priorities get in 37 episodes, makes it gratifying in the end that such a person did indeed not become the “god” of a new world.
Besides his father, there are numerous other examples of Light showing no pity for any of the “good” people who had to die for the sake of Kira. Of course the other major example is Takada Kiyomi, who he pretended to be in love with and even promised to bring with him to the new world…only to turn around the next minute and send her to her death just like every other criminal he had disposed of. It’s scary to think what kind of a world Light would create when he has pretty much no regard for the lives of others. Which raises the question, is Light the real villain or is the Death Note itself to blame? If the Death Note had fallen into the hands of a person as equally brilliant and cunning as Light, but one who was also more compassionate and sympathetic, then would the “cleansed” world they create be desirable? To me, the Death Note is an objective object that can be used for absolute good or absolute evil depending on the one who uses it. Though Light’s intentions may have been good at first, it’s obvious that the power he felt from possessing the Death Note, the hype his Kira alter ego received, the thrill of matching wits with L, and perhaps his own personal weakness to succumb to his primeval violent human nature, all contributed to him losing respectable human emotions of love, pity, and sympathy (or maybe he never had these to begin with?) and pretty much plunging into mad obsession with creating this new world of his, disregarding anything else. At first, Light was the real person and Kira was the alter ego. But as Light became more obsessed, Kira became his master self and Light became the false alter ego he would show to everybody.
Basically, to sum up my thoughts on the end of Death Note, it’s hard to say for sure whether the Death Note is a true source of evil or not. But it’s pretty safe to say that the real evil lies within Light’s personality and subsequent loss of humanity (I believe there was intentional irony in giving him the name “Light”.) One could feel sorry for him on the one hand since he was indeed a genius in his own right and he had some good ideals of cleansing the world of evil. But what good is that if he doesn’t even have feelings towards the value of a “good” human life? He would be no kind and caring “god” in this new world so it was more satisfying than not to see his reign as Kira finally come to an end. But is the message of the whole Death Note series simply “It’s wrong to kill people even if they’re bad” or is it “If you’re given so much power over others, it’s okay to use it for a good cause as long as you don’t abuse it and lose sight of what’s important in your own humanity?” I’m sure people will ponder these and other questions about the brilliant yet controversial series that is Death Note for many years to come. This series certainly stands out among anime and manga alike, and there’s no doubt it ranks among one of my personal favorites.
Son Gohan said,
August 9, 2007 at 6:32 am
I think that no good can come from an instrument of death.
There are two major flaws in Kira’s plan IMHO:
1) How can he be absolutely certain that the people he was executing were villains? He judged the criminals based on news reports, but they could have been wrong. How many innocent people did Light sacrifice for his ideals? Everybody deserves a fair trial in democracy. Kira was just an omnipotent tyrant.
2) He sentenced to death not only murderers and rapists, but even corrupted politicians, burglars and stalkers. Yes, those are all nasty deeds, but do these people really deserve to DIE? Everybody should get a second chance in life, Kira didn’t allow it.
Better_than_L_and_Kira_Combined said,
August 14, 2007 at 9:47 am
I have to admit that I was upset with the end result in Death Note. I actually wanted Kira to get away with it and create his ideal utopia. Of course, when I think about it, Light really did become corrupt with the power that he was given, but some part of me really wanted to see him do it. If only he had just given Mikami (I think that was his name) a piece of the Deathnote to write on instead of having to deal with the whole fake Deathnote thing. Part of the reason why I want Kira to have won is because I feel that he was cheated in the end.
saeed said,
August 19, 2007 at 8:39 am
when L died i stopped watching the show but then i was couris about the end so i continued it and the end was pethitic the part at the end wich i hated is that ryuk killed light and the flows in lights final plan is that he put his complete trust in mikami if i was him and had the death note i will act like i trust my Follwers but i will have a back up plan that will Grantee my victory and when i saw ryuk flying in the end i thought they will do a second season for death note and what was heart breaking is L’s death i actually cried because before his death he said to light ” you are my best friend ” that was heartbreaking T_T
Yin said,
August 20, 2007 at 5:44 am
the further of the death note portrayed light as “second coming of jesus”
it is obvious from the title pages of the death note that he is pictured as a cruficied crist. it is a irony how “second coming of crist” defines jesus to “judge the living and the dead” perhaps Death Note shows the aurthor’s defination of bible.
to be fair, i’m not surprised that light met his death in agony, from the start, he was a sacrifice to the world.
many cultures in the world have “god of death” and some are portrayed positively, like hindu god and egyptian god. it is because ancient believed that “cleansing” of the world is neccesary to build another world. in order to improve and advance humanity, some must die. this ideal is also portrayed in manga called “rurouni kenshin”
light needed to be heartless in order to achieve his ideal. when i read this manga, i saw him as a god of death, meant to be sacrificed for the good of humanity.
the argument over the true “evil” in this story is argued over and over, but the truth is that “good” and “evil” are just concept. light said in boom 9 that “if kira wins this fight and rules the world, than he is good, if he loss and get caught, he is evil” i think there is no other word that defines better.
the winner is righteous, there is no rules set in stone that defines good and evil.
in philosophical point of view and realistic point of view, i think author did a perfect job in crucifying kira.
Kakihiro said,
August 24, 2007 at 3:17 pm
First, I would like to state that Deathnote truly is to me one of the greatest manga’s and animations of all time. It was suspenseful, meaningful and it me and many of friends who are familiar with the Deathnote series in deep thought for quite a while. Did Kira truly deserve the die? Did he deserve to die the way that he did? Yes, it was so much how he died, I just think that the world in this story was done a powerful favor by having this corrupt murder be taken down. Kira was a murder, a self murder pure and simple. He had a grudge against the world and he just so happen to get lucky enough to come across a tool such as the Deathnote. “Absoulte power, corrupts absouletly” comes to mind when I think about what kind of a person Kira (Light) truly was. His intentions my have started out just, but as time passed and various pressure-filled events transpired, to me, he began to get despirate and less forgiving. It was almost as he was losing himself within his selfish goals and his power. Also because of his power, he began to manipulate the fates of those around him. To me, this makes Kira the lowest of the lowest.
No single human being should have the kind of power that he had for himself and on the world. No single human being has the right to try and decide the fate of another human being the way that Kira did.
Michelle said,
September 5, 2007 at 2:47 am
He should have destroyed the book when he found it. Even if all his plans had gone through and he ended up a god in his own right, who can say about his successor? Or the successor after him? Hitler, Stalin, Vlad, they all had the power of death note. One word, and anyone they wished would die. They too tried to create a “cleansed world”.
Absolute power is absolute corruption, Light was just an arrogant kid, (brilliant, but arrogant.) I guess the underlying message of this manga is the only one who can handle the power of a god, may be God.
A FAN OF DEATH NOTE BOOK said,
November 5, 2007 at 11:21 pm
I comply agree with Better_than_L_and_Kira_Combined said second comment in Texas the seirs is berly starting it`s on the 3 episod.In a way I wanted kira to win but the thing that I hated the most is that L live more then Light [Kira].I hate how L treart Light[Kira] at the end at lest that`s what I hear. I wise at lest Light[Kira] would have fail but lived I allso hate that Light [Kira] family didn`t find out that Kira was [Light]. I never trusted Ryuk I hate him now more then ever because he casused Light[Kira] to die.I WISE KIRA WOULD HAVE LIVED.p.s. Why is Ryuk still there after Light [Kira] is dead he said at the beging that he would omly stay untill Light [Kira] is dead or the death note is finshed so if Light [Kira] is dead why is he still there?
Anya said,
December 7, 2007 at 9:19 pm
I love Anime THE DEATH NOTE I think it is good for teen like me. I like anime and this one of my favorite. I din’t watch all of it but I like about The death note that like he right down the name of that person and time than he make a plan how that person going to die. And there one another person who trying to discover who is that killer all of thodse peple. And his fathers is police man or something like that, and he trying to find out who is morder all of those people, and i think he have a reason to kill those people.
Ekiteu said,
December 14, 2007 at 10:16 am
I would hav liked 2 see light to rule the “new world” he was trying to create and win in the end because its true that he was the only one who was fit to rule but i agree that near the end he became power hungry. But his intentions were good the reason why he killed inocent people like his father for example was because they would have been the key to him being caught. so he had to what he had to do what he had to do to complete his goal. But in the end I have a question… Who are we to judge people?
Who are we to say whats right and whats wrong? maby what light was do was right to some and wrong to some.I wanted light to win and it pissed me off that he was killed just think what the world would be like if just about all the criminals were gone it would be great. I support kira (light).
ryuk hater said,
December 29, 2007 at 7:00 am
i liked L and light equally…i dont think that nethier should have died.But thats how life is and all we humans on earth are soppose 2 do is live life,let god handle the rest.Death note is a good show it has a meaning,a warning.i dont understant something…….Why did light have 2 kill L,why did ryuk kill light.I hate ryuk with all my heart but at the same time another part of me hates light,L was young and only tried 2 save the world from kira,and light was also young and was trying 2 save the world.in their own ways it was what they believed in.And i know its bad that L is gone and light is gone(he dosent even exist anymore,since he neither goes to heaven or hell)but the best part is that it wont go on anymore,the killing will stop…thats what we think but what will happen when another picks up the death note..there is only 1 god and no one in this world should try 2 help him out,its his job,our job is to let him do his job,with no interference….i have 2 say i did cry when i watched it POOR L AND LIGHT=*(
Ben said,
January 9, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Firstly, wow a lot of these comments are barely even English.
But on topic, I don’t know why people are mad about Light dying. From the beginning, Ryuk said that the Death Note user will experience torture and misery beyond any other human’s experience, and when the time comes, Ryuk told Light that he would write his name in his own Death Note. Light got what was promised to him, what he accepted at that time (but in the end cries “I don’t want to die!”), and what he deserved. We all want a world without criminals and bad people, but don’t forget that given certain circumstances, You might be a criminal right now. And certainly everyone has done minor offenses, and yet don’t usually feel we deserve the punishment for our crimes. Plus, Light was trying to create a world that was peaceful Only because people feared Him. That’s a cruel dictatorship, and wouldn’t work. Fear cannot create good people. People are nice to their fellow man out of mutual respect, high morals, and love for each other. Light’s scores in school say he’s a genius, but I’d say his ideas about morality and justice are pretty stupid. There is a difference between good and evil, and the statement “Kira wins, he’s good, and if he’s caught, he’s evil.” is the same thing as saying “History is written by the winners.” Of course, nobody would stand up to Light if he kills everyone who stands against him, but that just means nobody will Say he’s evil. The fact remains that he is evil. And finally, the Death Note. It provides a power that is not for human beings to possess. Anyone, as Ryuk says, who uses it, will be miserable, and no good can come from using it, even once. The justice system we have is not perfect, but improving it would be a correct goal. Killing people on one’s own would be combating Evil with more Evil.
Allen said,
January 10, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I believe what Light was doing was justice.He gave innocent people a feeling
of security.If i had the Death Note I would have done the same thing.The
world really is rotten.People who pretend that it is not are just lying to themselves.Every day there are reports of murders on the news and so many
people get away with murder because there is no sufficient evidence.
Kira was there to stop that.He would judge criminals so that they would not harm the innocent.Light saw a chance to cleanse the world of evil and he took it.Light’s only mistake is that he trusted Mikami.He should have deduced the chance that Mikami would disobey him.In the end Light got too overconfident (which was a mistake) and it led to his downfall.I think that while he lasted Light
was one heck of a god.
Kira said,
January 12, 2008 at 8:19 pm
I was for Light, but for a smart person he made childish mistakes. If he was smart he would have just ignored all those who were after him. L would have never known if he was truly in the correct city if Light never tried to respond.
Light could of had Mikami make the copy of the book, use only ripped parts and have it buried underground in a park at the beginning when Mikami just got the book. That way hours before he had to show up for the finally he could dig up the real book.
Or at least at the end give up the book and all his bad deeds would be forgotten and the death god could still take his life but this time he would die innocent, not knowing he killed so many.
I have never seen the ending for the manga I am looking for that now.
I was for Light, he hated the evil the world showed to him, growing up with a father who’s soul job is to get the “bad guys”, its logical that Light would do the same by cleansing the world.
Light knew that the world would fear him, after making many mistakes he was just trying to maintain his hold on his ideal world.
But many would also support him…Many people would like a world where crimes are no longer there. A world free of all this hate, Some people would live normal life’s, others would fear Light but why? “If you fear him then you must be a person who is sinful”.
When Light made his first kill, his soul was never to enter “Heaven nor Hell”. Giving up then would be a mistake.
What you should ask yourself is, if this book fell into your hands by random chance. Would you not use it? Burn it? Would you ask yourself why does it exist if no human was ever to use it, like Light did?
Light seemed to believe God was real and when he started using the book he took notice that God never stopped him. In fact it seemed to him that God let him have the book like a chosen one and was on his side helping him when he gets in a hard spot and then someone else enters the world and suddenly he has a chance to make a move to beat L.
Lights idea was for good, by taking out the evil in the world using death. Even if some of the criminals changed in mind, body and soul. They would die and go to heaven like all other people and be judged. So religiously, your mistakes on people you judged will be judged again by God himself for Heaven or Hell.
Would you use the book knowing your soul will never go to Heaven nor Hell?Would you take it as a sign from god? Would you take the book off the ground knowing if you don’t some other person would get it and use it?
If I had the book I would want to do the same as light, but for my soul…I would not trade it for power. If my soul would be like all the other then and God told me himself that I can use it and judge mankind without being held responsible for all the death. Then I would so test it out.
Anyone can kill another, but it doesn’t make them evil.
Jose said,
January 15, 2008 at 2:13 am
what ever happened to judge not unless ye be judge. Kira pure evil. He no right to judge other humans he wasn’t one. What makes us humans is our emotions and countiose and he had neither. The way he just manipulated or killed everyone in his life was just evil. This is what makes me so mad about kira he was smart, hansome, had a good famely, populer, women loved him even enough to die for him, and what does he do he squanders his smarts, he kills or trometises the people who love him. In conclusion this has got to be in the top 3 anime slash mangas for me I mean it had me at the egde of my seat with emotions, especially anger for kira which I never had for eney anime charector in my life.
Adrian said,
January 30, 2008 at 3:37 pm
First of all, it’s called basic english and I sympathyse with those who have said that in posts before me. Secondly, I think that to try and judge fictional actions that involve unrealistic powers like those of the Death Note is an excercise in personal opinion. I am not even sure if the human mind can realistically answer whether it is right or wrong for something like that to happen. It is definitely wrong to kill all those people and it is probably wrong to not do it and let them kill someone else. The only difference is who gets blamed. I think the only truly righteous characters where the police officers and L because they did not attempt to judge these actions they only intended to bring Kira to justice and let the courts decide. I know that isn’t really an answer to the questions raised by this compelling anime series, but sadly it is the best answer that we as the human race have been able to develop from all of our combined historical experience. Anyone who pretends to know better is childish and should recognize the difference between their own personal opinions and beliefs and between reality and anime for that matter.
Emily said,
February 4, 2008 at 1:12 am
If some1 can tell me if there’s a site were you can read Death Note online, can you please tell me? My e-mail is bye300@gmail.com
Shamus said,
March 11, 2008 at 10:43 pm
This is my favorite anime out of any i have watched, loved it from start to end, couple comments to some of the posts here though
1) to the person(s) who say i hate watching people die, everyone deserves a second chance and the whole hooblah know that this is an anime series and they arent promoting kill everyone who is bad, and the purpose of anime, or anything that is put on tv, is to entertain you and get high ratings, if they succeeded they are happy, dont get too into it.
2) As for everyone who hates how the show ended, i admit i was suprised, but when you think about it…it should of been a bit obvious! Ryuk said he would wirte his name in his book someday so you should of seen that coming, either as what happened into the series, or as an epilogue such as *light kills everyone, creates a great world and dies X years later after Ryuk writes his name in the book* which sounds better?
That also leads me to another point, people who are pissed at the ending keep saying OMG they are lazy they should of kept going blah blah blah. This isnt one of your shows that has mad fight scenes in it, like gundom (or however you spell it that whole machine fighting series, never watched it) or dragonball Z (which is like a kabillion episodes long, ew) or One piece (even longer then DBZ i believe…) All GOOD animes come to an end early, it becomes very boring to watch they same stuff happen for like 100 episodes
OMG HE BECAME A SUPER SAIYAN, OMG NOW HES SSJ2! NOW SSJ3!!! THIS IS A GOOD SHOW *end sarcasm*
The show was the right length and ended fine, they didnt drag it out by having Light kill another 4395726234 people in some unique way by outsmarting them, that would of gotten boring after a point…
3) Saeed, Light did have a back up plan, he had a piece of paper on his watch and a pen with him, unfortunately he wasnt very subtle with it, and really didnt expect his plan to fail. He instructed mikami not to do any killing on a day and he did, therefore Near caught on to the plan, if that had not happened light would of won, and everyone there would of died (light probably would of killed mikami too after it was done too) and then the series would of ended with light winning, could of done that i guess, but this was a great plot twist. Everyone was like YEAH LIGHT WON WOOT WOOT YEAH GO LIG-…OMFG HE LOST?!?!
Also Saeed, light also said that his plan was to get close to L so he could eliminate him, sadly L saying Light is his friend was just part of the plan, Light’s logic is pretty much “If you are not with me then you are against me” only he had a book of death and anyone who retaliated he saw as “people who did not want a pure world, and were not fit to live in it”
Corrupted logic i guess.
5) “Light could of had Mikami make the copy of the book, use only ripped parts and have it buried underground in a park at the beginning when Mikami just got the book. That way hours before he had to show up for the finally he could dig up the real book”
Quote above is said by kira a couple posts up along with some of other points about how kira messed up. The problem why that wouldnt of worked is because mikami was being followed anyways, he probably would of been found in some way when he buried it or went to recover more pieces of paper, though the plan was still brilliantly planned out, mikami just goofed in one place and it came tumbling down
Also I’d also like to say Light was pretty dumb in some ways, he was obsessed with justice so he killed Lind L. Tailor and they caught him, he could of kept shut and succeeded (though then thered be no story and thus no anime) though you cant blame him for that mistake. The mistake i blame him for is getting into police profiles and changing the way he kills right after they suspect hes a student, this only pressed L to delve into Light being a student. If it had been me i would of stopped all killing for a couple of weeks and resumed by killing at random times to throw the police off, though L still might of seen through that
6) And finally i would like to say the story is semi-flawed with the rules of the death note, for example “you have to have the face of the name you are going to kill so that people sharing same name dont die” yet there is a point in the series where Makami texts the one blue haired lady the name and she kills the man on the bus without her seeing his face…
i havent watched the show for awhile but im sure there were others, thats just an example
damn thats a lot of typing :O
FlyingDove said,
April 30, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Rarely do I come across manga that really causes one to think deeply. I’m terrible at conveying my own thoughts and feelings to the public, but I’ll give it a shot. Here goes…
Kira was not absolute evil. Nor was he absolute good. No, what he was was far worse; human. Humanity is great, but with the inevitable flaws that destroy “the greater good” image. A human does not, and should not, have the ability to cleanse the world. Why? It’s not as simple as: this guy is evil, this guy should live. Good and Evil? Righteousness and Wrong? Humans can pretend to know the answer to what is right and wrong, but the truth is we’ll never know. We as people do not have the power to know. Therefore, we cannot judge. Kira also killed the innocent when he felt threatened. But even then, how do we know who is innocent? It is exactly how Light said it, “If we catch Kira, then he is evil. If Kira wins, he is righteousness.”
Even the Shinigami were portrayed as human as the…well, humans. Ryuk’s very existence explained something important: that when you don’t know, you can’t take sides. I personally was very glad that Rem died, not because she helped Kira, but because she judged without knowing. That kind of action is terrible, and proves that Ryuk knew better. Still, it’s not as though Ryuk didn’t work for SOMETHING. Ryuk “dropped” the notebook specifically because he was bored, remember? Ryuk appeases himself, so even he wouldn’t be a good “judge”.
Did Kira deserve to die? This is where it depends on whether you read the manga or watch the anime. In the manga, Kira is killed by Ryuk. In the anime, Matsuda kills Kira out of anger. The notable difference is the purpose of Ryuk and Matsuda. Ryuk kills Kira because it would be boring for him otherwise. Matsuda loses control. They both have their own side, and both are right and wrong. I believe that Kira deserved to be stopped, but whether death was the appropriate punishment…yes, I have to take a side, and I believe Kira deserved his death. That doesn’t mean I’m right, at any rate.
I just said I had to take a side, and by saying so I hinted at the most important element of Death Note. Despite humans not being appropriate judges, we cannot go through life with no feelings at all, that’s human nature. Again, I use the quote, “If we catch Kira, he is evil”. Those who make up their minds, act on them, and convince other’s that they are right, these are the people who prove themselves. No, it doesn’t mean that they’re correct, but by the very human nature, someone needs to be.
————————————————–
This next part isn’t quite as important, but as I just said, I need to take a side. These are my views on Death Note…I don’t care what you think about them.
Kira was wrong. Absolutely WRONG. Light Yagami was good, but Kira was evil. In my eyes, these were two different people who lived in the same body. Light should have lived, but Kira should have been tossed in the deepest spiky-pit full of man-eating rodents that slowly…uhhh…nevermind. In the end, because Light fully became Kira, I don’t regret his death.
Remember when Light said, “If you kill me in revenge of L, you’re worse than Kira”? It happened in the manga, not the anime (I don’t think those were the exact words, but they mean the same thing). Light/Kira was talking to Near. My opinion on this quote…bloody hell I’d kill him for L!!!!! Sorry, but because I believe Kira to be evil, and L to be good, yes, I feel this way. Even so, I wouldn’t be taking revenge JUST because L is right (I’m going to stop typing ‘I think’ because it’s getting redundant). I would take revenge more so because L…*giggles*…is the BEST CHARACTER EVER!!!! *turns into a rabid fangirl*. lol I just mean that I truly missed L when he died, and it’s all because of Kira. *w* grrrrrr…so yes, maybe I hate Kira for superficial reasons, but hey, that’s humanity.
I wish Misa didn’t die. Actually, I wish she realized she was just a tool. Another reason I hate Kira is because he uses people like Misa, who don’t know better. Misa was a bit annoying/pointless to the plot, but a decent character in general, just naive.
L…sigh…rest in peace.
Overall, Death Note is a great series that really inspires emotion and drama. I haven’t watched all the episodes (I’m up to 33), but I’ve read the manga and fell in love with it. Great work!
blake said,
May 12, 2008 at 9:19 am
it was just incredible… i really loved the ending, but at the same time i hated it.. i just didnt want it to end.. i wanted it to go on forever and now… i feel like something is missing.. i know that sounds really gay, but DeathNote has become a major part of my life… idk i guess i can buy the manga..
J Cow said,
June 13, 2008 at 7:26 am
Well Death Note was a very intelligent series and the reason everyone liked it is for once we get to see a criminal who is smart. Every story in existence was about criminals who are dumb. It is so stereotypical for the bad guy to die in the end. Ending the story where the main character does something royally stupid like trusting a crack pot servant is absolutely unbelievably dumb.
The ended looked rushed and every single person seeing the series can see it. We were basically cheated the ending we deserved. We made the creators of death note popular by liking what they started and they let us down. Which will make me think twice about absorbing anything these hacks write next time. You don’t start off making a smart series and then get weak when it comes to an ending. An ending that makes sense is a test of a writers skill. this showed a complete lack of skill in every way possible.
I want the ending i was cheated out of. Even light in the end getting the better of everyone and killing himself or him being successful or even all in all maybe he would fail and be found out. but found out in a smart way. Where everything is done perfectly except he was out maneuvered not something as silly has someone forged the death note in one night and switched it from its hidden spot which seems to be completely left out as to how they found the secret spot. Give me a break. Pathetic and stupid cop out ending for a unskilled writer.
very typical of japanese writing though to be cliché and weak in the end. Grow a back bone japanese writers. Not ever story with death in it should end with the main characters dieing in the end or committing suicide because they broke a finger nail. Even if light were found out in this manner he would not have lost his cool and he wouldn’t have claimed victory. remember this is the same guy who assumed everything is recorded. He would have acted in that room as if he was recorded and he would not have relied on a moron who can’t keep his cool as well. Give me a break.. oh god .. i am done right now the stupidity of the writers epic fail with this ending is just getting on my nerves.
light and l pwn said,
June 26, 2008 at 8:51 am
I think L and Light should have lived because how L said to light that he was his friend and light shouldnt have started this good world and killed innocent cops for his games i liked light and L and how the anime was and shows were but manga on the 12 one in manga said at the end that there were more in kiras and death notes were poping out of no where i think L and light should have lived not die it would have been a better show if they didnt.
darkmetal said,
June 27, 2008 at 5:51 am
Deathnote brings forth a basis for powerful political and philosophical discussion. Light’s initial goal of ridding the world of evil is something that many Conservative’s would agree with, while Liberals lean toward believing that all people are basically misunderstood innocents. However, both viewpoints are basically only the beginning of a gradation of actual truth.
Light begins his downward spiral when he begins to actually want to be the “God of a new world”; It is obvious that no human can be God. The cases where man has tried to take such a role has ended in dictatorship. It is apt to say that Communism/Fascism was based in the wildly overblown ego’s of a single man, such as Stalin, who killed 30 million, or Hitler, who tried to exterminate all Jews via the Holocaust. In the end, the position of the “God” became the reason for mass extermination, and the dictator’s life and safety became the reason for the exterminations, not evil.
Also, the deathnote states that once a human uses the deathnote, that he/she can neither enter heaven or hell. One might speculate that this means that such a person would in time become a Shinigami, but I think the truth is that this indicates the final penalty of the deathnote–complete spiritual non-existence. A human who takes the place of a God can be neither Angelic or Demonic, he/she is doomed to complete eradication as penalty.
Light, via his use of the Deathnote, begins to think of human lives as chess pieces, and little more. In the end, when he loses via the combined calculations of Near and Mellow, he cannot believe it. After all, how can “God” be wrong? This is why he is completely incredulous and out of control when his opponents don’t die. He also misunderstands that all humans are not within his control, which he seems to believe up to that point, as evidenced by the fact Mikami acts on his own.
A point must also be made that in the end, when Light speaks about all the people he has killed, that the human race is still rotting. This leads me to believe that he begins to think HE is the only innocent in his egocentric mind. Again this harkens to the mentality of a dictator. If Light had won in the end, it is a good possibility that he would have become increasingly paranoid and eventually would have eliminated almost all, if not all, of the human race (if he could manage to fit all the names in the deathnote, that is).
Light, in his final conflict and discussion with Near, states that nobody could understand him and his goals, as he is God of the new world. Near responds that he is simply a “Mass murderer” which is actually the truth. Near coldly speaks to Light like a child, as he now sees Light as delusional
A final point: Light believes that after beating the greatest detective in the world, “L” that nobody could possibly match him. The fact is that “L” was never beaten, as his own death was simply factored into his analysis and planned for–hence the existence of Near and Mellow. L had planned for his death, and had advanced his position by understanding the qualities of Near and Mellow. Near had the same intellectual and intuitive power as L, and Mellow was the bold and impetuous side of L: Together, they were able to beat Light. The eventual victory was via L and his calculations.
Chris said,
July 3, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I personally think that light was good and his intentions were good, but as u said, he eventually overused his powers and forgot about his ideals of making a “good” world and instead making “his” world where he ruled, anyone who did anything against him or even the slightest bit bad died. And nobody would know it was him. One of my favorite parts of the anime was when light gave up the notebook for a while and was himself again. He worked with L and he was trying to help the world. It was showing how much the notebook actually corrupted him. But alas he decided to stay evil in the end. But I still think he should have given up in the end and forfeited the notebook to ryuuk. That way he and mikami would lose their memories and become innocent. and the notebooks would be gone. Stumping Near. So then light could just live a normal life in the task force. But I guess the ending was very powerful and moving either way. The only thing I would want is another show like death note. More death note.(whole new plot.) or a new season in between the L and Near saga. While Light is still alive. But the fact is I’m going to miss the first anime show I have ever seen without only swords and fighting. And I’m going to miss this greatly.
jeremiah said,
August 11, 2008 at 5:24 am
I love death note. it really made me change my opinion on the way most manga is. i only seen manga and anime with swords and special powers. i will greatly miss death note. i too feel that there should be atleast another series or two like death note. i refused to finish the manga series because i didn’t want it to end. i know it will. it took me one month to read 9 volumes and i can’t find another series that will interest me like this one.